Dark green ruled with orange curves, and territorial enough to follow a diver off its patch.
To about 30 cm, dark green to olive with curved orange-yellow lines running back from the head across the flanks, an orange band from the mouth to the pectoral fin, and a yellow tail. Mature males lose the lines on the snout. It is the most brightly marked of the common triggerfishes here and is not readily confused with anything else.
Like all triggerfishes it locks the first dorsal spine upright with the second to wedge itself into a crevice. It feeds on urchins, molluscs, coral and algae, and is aggressive towards other fish over food. Territorial individuals will approach and follow a diver, and while the species is far smaller than the titan triggerfish it is quicker to react. Recorded from about 2 to 45 m.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.